Christian Aid prayer for emergencies

O God, our refuge and strength,
our help in times of trouble.

Have mercy on the lands where the earth has given way.
Have mercy on the lands where the weather has destroyed livelihoods.
Prosper those who rebuild houses,
and strengthen those who rebuild hope
so that entire communities
may face the future without fear.

Amen

Prayer in times of food shortages

Loving and almighty God,

We pray for all who are working to combat the growing food crisis:
For international aid agencies and local community organisations.
And in particular we pray for those in positions of power.
May the leaders of the nations act with wisdom and compassion
Bringing relief to those who suffer now
And moving us towards a world without hunger.

We pray for our sisters and brothers caught up in a cycle of drought and hunger:
for parents struggling to find food and seeing their children go hungry,
for farmers seeing their crops fail and livestock die.

We pray for ourselves:
May we share generously from the abundance that you have given us
and join our voices with those who call for an end to poverty,
that lives may be saved and rebuilt with hope for the future.
May we act in your name Lord and be an instrument of your grace.

Amen

Christian Aid prayer for those affected by floods

Compassionate God, source of all comfort,
We pray for the people whose lives have devastated by rain and flood.
Bring them comfort, we pray.
Protect the vulnerable.

Strengthen the weak.
Keep at bay the spread of disease.
Have mercy on all those working to rescue the stranded and to feed the hungry.
And may our response to their suffering be generous and bring you praise.

For we ask it in Jesus Name, Amen.

Prayers for Ethiopia

Lord, a land of coffee and grain
of cattle and crops
of pasture and plain
of laughter and love
is thirsty.

O God, comfort your people.

Protect families struggling to get by
protect children losing out on education
protect those seeking water in their travels.

O God, comfort your people.

We pray for Christian Aid and their partners,
with institutions and organisations supporting people in Ethiopia.
Grant them wisdom as they assess need
and bless them as they respond.

O God, comfort your people.

Amen.

A prayer from Ethiopia (used in Christian Aid Week 2015)

Let your hand rest upon your people of Ethiopia,
widows and orphans, aged and children,
strangers and wanderers.
And join us also with them,
protect and strengthen us, from all evil works keep us apart,
and in all good works unite us.
You are life for our souls.
You are the life of the world.

Amen.

Prayers for South Sudan

Please join us in praying for the people of South Sudan, more than 2 million of whom have been forced to flee their homes due to violence. 6.5 million people are in need of help.

• Pray for those who do not have enough to eat. Ask God’s blessing upon Christian Aid’s partners distributing food, and tools, seed and fishing gear to help people get back on their feet.

• Pray for clean water for those living in camps, and for the boreholes Christian Aid has repaired to supply water.

• Pray for health and hygiene – for toilet facilities provided by Christian Aid, and our work to make sure people have soap and mosquito nets. Pray for medical facilities in sore need of drugs and medical supplies.

• Pray for children, traumatised and with their education disrupted. Ask God to bless Christian Aid’s work to provide space for children to play, listen to stories, draw, dance and sing. Thank God for the measures in place to keep children safe, including a child abuse hotline in Juba. Ask for God’s protection upon children in camps.

• Pray for the church in South Sudan, that she will be empowered to broker peace and bring reconciliation.

We pray for the many casualties of war in South Sudan
for those bereaved or injured by conflict
for those bereft of their homes and livelihoods
for those in need of medical treatment.

We pray for the work of Christian Aid and its partners,
for the distribution of food, fishing gear and seeds,
for soap, mosquito nets and water
for a safe space for children.

We pray for the work of your church in bringing peace
for a listening ear and understanding heart
for productive negotiations and lasting peace
for strength to walk the long road of rebuilding and reconciliation.

Amen.

The joy of our hearts has ceased;
our dancing has been turned to mourning. – Lamentations 5:15

The fields are empty – the sowers have fled,
the schools are empty – the children are taken
The clinics are empty – there is no medicine.

The camps are full
full of the homeless, the hungry, the desperate
full of the heart-sore, the violated, the traumatised.

Lord,
drive fear and despair from the full places
fill the empty places with hope for the future.

Amen.

Prayers for Nepal

Loving God,

We pray for the people of Nepal, devastated by an earthquake
At this time, we know you are present among the suffering
May your comfort be known by those in that darkest valley

We pray that help will reach all those who need it,
And lift to you Christian Aid's partners in Nepal,
As they seek to swiftly respond to those in need

In Jesus' name we pray,
Amen.

Prayer points for the Nepal earthquake

Filled with the shock and the horror, we pray for those who are injured and for those who have lost people they love.

In the midst of uncertainty and fear, we pray for those who desperately wait to find out if loved ones are alive or dead; for those, now homeless, who soon need to find a way to feed themselves and their scared children.

As the aftershocks continue we pray for all of those whose homes, livelihoods and neighbourhoods are broken and lost, as the extent of the damage becomes clear.

We pray also for Christian Aid partners. As they witness the pain and suffering in the aftermath of this earthquake, give them the wisdom to know what needs to be done.

Nepal Earthquake Appeal slideshow

You could use this Powerpoint presentation, which includes photographs and a prayer, in your church or group.

The commandment we have from him is this:
those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also. (vs. 21)

What if they were our familiar streets, Lord?
The pavements we walked down every day, cracked.
The roads we commuted on by bus or car, broken.
The underground or subway we travelled on, crushed.
The buildings we worked in, shopped in, worshipped in, crumpled.
The homes we lived in, cried in, loved in, laughed in, shattered.

God, it is hard for us to imagine,
to connect with these scenes of devastation,
but we see our brothers and sisters,
our shared humanity, suffering,
and we long for their rescue,
for their relief and recovery,
we long for their trauma to be healed
for their grief to be comforted and
for their future to be restored.

Take these gifts that we offer
And bless them and the agencies working in Nepal.
Through them may you walk among them,
repair roads,
restore communications,
rebuild communities and livelihoods, and
reveal your love.

Resurrected Lord,
We pray for all affected by the earthquake in Nepal:
For those grieving the loss of loved ones,
For those living in fear of aftershocks,
For those trapped awaiting rescue,
and for those who are searching.
Comfort, protect, rescue and strengthen.

We pray for all who are responding on the ground:
For partner agencies coordinating the response,
For those in need of shelter, clothing, food and water,
For those in remote rural areas whose plight is yet unknown,
and for those who are travelling to and within Nepal.
Direct, provide, connect and guide.

We pray for the world as it watches on:
For the media as it tells the full story,
For compassion to overcome despair,
For unity to overcome distance,
and for kindness to prevail.
Inspire, move, unite and reveal.

In your resurrection hope we pray,
Amen.

1 John 4: 7-21 and John 15: 1-8

‘God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.’ (vs. 16)
‘If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.’ (vs. 7)

God who is Love,
We pray for those in Nepal who have lost their homes,
may they find shelter and the materials to rebuild.
May your love abide.

We pray for those who remain cut off in remote areas,
may they be reached soon and their immediate needs met.
May your love abide.

We pray for all whose livelihoods have been destroyed,
may they find new sources of income and the way ahead.
May your love abide.

We pray for all who have slept outside every night this week,
may the aftershocks and fear subside.
May your love abide.

We pray for those who cannot sleep,
May their trauma be healed.
May your love abide.

We pray for those who have been waiting to hear from friends or loved ones
since 11.41am on Saturday 25 April.
May your love abide.

We pray for those who have spent this week digging through rubble,
and for those who have been trapped awaiting rescue.
May your love abide.

We pray for those who have to make decisions on the ground,
May the response of agencies be joined up and well co-ordinated,
May your love abide.

We pray for the people of Nepal who have survived,
for those whose lives will never be the same again.
May the love of God be present
through all who give,
through all who bring immediate relief and
through all who will journey with them for the weeks, months and years ahead.

‘To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down, before him shall bow down all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him.’

Lord,
It has been a week of tears,
of aftershocks and sadness.
A week of listening and searching
in dust and rubble.
A week of fading hope
and growing totals.
We pray for Nepal,
a nation in grief,
may your comfort be close.

Lord, who is our shepherd,
We pray for the people of Nepal in this time of want.
Guide those who grieve to still waters; restore their soul.
Lead those who are searching to the right places.
Comfort those who are trapped in the darkest valley of fear.
May generosity and compassion overflow in response
so that goodness and mercy may follow all
who will live in the shadow of this earthquake.
May they dwell in secure houses and
know healing and protection all their life long.